ABSTRACT

After two decades of robust expansion culminating in a referendum in May 1980 on a first step on the path to independence, Quebec nationalism appears to be in active retreat. This is rather curious, if not anomalous, in that Quebec has been governed for much of the past two decades by the Parti Quebecois, a party whose traditional raison d' etre has been the goal of political independence for Quebec. In what follows, I shall attempt to account for these surprising developments, focusing on the developments since the referendum. I shall argue that these developments are a result of a series of alterations in the expectations of Quebecois, some positive though others negative, which have the effect of undennining support for the nationalist cause. In particular, I shall emphasise the role of economic and linguistic factors.